Key-fastener.



No. 817,697. PATENTED APR. 10, 1906. W. T. EASTERDAY.

KEY FASTENER. APPLICATION FILED mm. 11, 1994.

%/ ///a/// TZZF/a@ \VILLIAM THOMAS EASTERDAY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

KEY-FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 10, 1906.

Application filed June 11, 1904:. Serial No. 212,209.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM THOMAS EASTERDAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Key-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to improvements in key-fasteners and it consists in the construction and arrangement of parts, as

' will be hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the key-fastener. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof the fastener being shown in a position within a lock and under a key. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the lock and door, showing the application of the fastener.

The improved key-fastener is made of a continuous strip of metal, being formed in practice by stamping it from sheet metal through the action of suitable dies and then folding the strip into form. This strip is bent or folded upon itself intermediately of its length to form a pair of spring-arms 1 and 2 of equal length, said arms being arranged to diverge gradually from their point of juncture to a point adjacent to their free ends, the latter being conveXly curved inwardly toward each other and being free from connection with each other to form jaws which serve as finger-pieces by which the spring-arms may be pressed together to adapt the device to be inserted into the lock for use.

The arm 2 is provided immediately in rear of its convexly-curved end or jaw 2 with an inwardly-projected or in-springing offset 3, forming a locking-notch, the inner wall 3 of said notch being arranged substantially at right angles to the arm to form a straight or square abutting shoulder to engage one of the walls of the keyhole in the escutcheon-plate 6 of the lock. By thus constructing the locking-offset 3 with a straight or square shoulder 8* it will be apparent that the shoulder 3 will be held with great force in locking engagement with the escutcheon-plate and that the straight or square form of the shoulder will prevent it from riding out of contact with the wall of the notch with which it is engaged when pressure is exerted longitudinally on the fastener by means of an implement inserted into the keyhole from without in an attempt to force the fastener out of locking engagement in order that the key may be manipulated to open the door.

A key-fastener of simple construction is thus produced which cannot be displaced by the ordinary method of exerting pressure upon the fastener from the outer side of the door and which will therefore hold the key of the door in looking position until it, the fastener, is properly withdrawn from the interior by pressure upon the finger-pieces 1 and 2' to move the locking-shoulder out of en gagement with the escutcheon-plate and slide the fastener out of the lock beneath the key.

It will be understood that in order to lock the key within the keyhole the key is inserted through the hole in the usual manner and turned to one side, after which the folded end of the fastener is then inserted into the reduced portion of the keyhole until the offset 3 automatically engages the escutcheon-plate 6 of the lock. It will then become impossible to rotate the key so as to withdraw it from the lock until the fastener is first removed by an authorized person. The device may also be used as a manicure instrument, the tapered ends 1 and 2 of the arms 1 and 2 being adapted for use for cleaning the nails and forming the jaws of tweezers, whereby surplus hairs may be plucked. The file-surface 5 in the groove 4 also enables the finger-nails to be conveniently dressed.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is A key-fastener comprising a single strip of flat spring metal bent centrally to form a pair of independent spaced apart arms having free ends curved toward each other, said arms being of equal lengths and arranged one above the other, one of said arms being. straight and unobstructed, the other arm provided with a depending squared shouldered recess, said fastener serving to permit of its bent portion being inserted in the keyhole-slot With its curved free ends projecting outwardly therefrom so as to alloW of the squared shouldered recess to contact With one edge of the esoutcheonplate, and said fastener being detachable from the key-slot and plate by means of pressing said curved free ends of the arms together, substantially as specified. 10 In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

WILLIAM THOMAS EASTERDAY.

ALFRED A. EN UIST,

IVitnesses ADoLPH C. WOLF. 

